Ross Hunter joins crowded King Co. exec field

State Rep. Ross Hunter, a pioneering Eastside Democrat, announced Tuesday that he’s running for county executive.

The longtime Microsoft manager makes it a field of five candidates – four Democrats and the lone Republican – running in the officially nonpartisan race to succeed King County Executive Ron Sims. Sims is bound to be deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Hunter said a major theme of his campaign will be to reform the county’s multiple governments in order to deliver services more efficiently and improve the county’s reputation in Olympia.

“If you can get more efficient government, you’ll get help from the Legislature,” he said during a podcast at the weekly Drinking Liberally gathering of local Democratic bloggers.

Hunter alluded to an episode with the House Speaker in Olympia during the just-concluded session of the Legislature.

“Frank Chopp excoriated King County over the cost of delivering services,” he said.

Hunter has been a major budget writer in Olympia, representing the 48th Legislative District, a Republican bastion all the way back to 1889 that in 2002 made him its first Democratic legislator.

He is the second Eastside legislator to announce. The other is Sen. Fred Jarrett of Mercer Island.

“I am running against one of my best friends in the world,” Hunter joked Tuesday night. One other eastside is also running – former KIRO news anchor Susan Hutchison.

“If she makes it through the primary she loses,” Hunter said. “She’s a Republican.”

Two veteran King County Councilmembers, with a quarter century of council experience between them, were early entrants in the race. They are Dow Constantine and Larry Phillips.

Hunter had to do some controversial budget making during the legislative session, such as a provision allowing the state’s four-year universiities to jack up tuition by as much as 14 percent. Hunter defended the increase as necessary in tough times.

“I have a kid going off to Wazzu this fall,” he added. “I’d rather pay a tuition increase than not have a university there. I’d rather pay a tuition increase than have my kid have to take another semester to complete his education.”